TIL a lesson about shale the hard way on a hike near Boulder

I was out collecting samples near the Flatirons last fall, and I grabbed a nice looking piece of dark shale from a slope. I put it in my backpack with some other rocks. By the time I got back to my truck, the shale had completely broken down into tiny pieces from the jostling. It made a total mess of clay dust all over my gear. I didn't realize how fragile some sedimentary rock could be until that moment. How do you folks safely pack out fragile specimens like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_shah561mo ago

Ever notice how the sturdiest looking things can be the most fragile? That sponge trick from @the_nina is smart for rocks, but I do the same thing with pastries in my lunch bag.

the_nina1mo ago

Learned that lesson myself with some crumbly sandstone years ago. I used to just wrap rocks in a bandana, but now I treat fragile layers like old china. I carry a small stash of cheap kitchen sponges, the kind you get in a big pack. I cut a slit in one, slide the specimen in, and then put the whole padded bundle into a hard plastic food container. It adds a bit of weight, but it keeps everything from grinding itself into powder on the walk back.